Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) and coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) have enabled telecommunication service providers to fully exploit the transmission capacity of optical fibers within their networks. Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technologies offer service providers not only increased transmission capacity on each fiber but also with flexible and non-intrusive means to expand their networks to support evolving requirements. At the same time WDM has evolved from long haul and ultra-long haul networks to penetrate down into access networks, local area networks and data centers in order to support the continuing inexorable demand for data.
Accordingly, today networks may exploit dynamically configurable wavelength tunable transmitters, receivers, and transceivers as well as wavelength dependent add-drop multiplexers, space switches, filters, etc. However, as optical systems have penetrated access networks and down into data centers competing demands for improved performance, increased integration, reduced footprint, reduced power consumption, increased flexibility, reconfigurability, and lower cost have become stronger such that today the drive within the photonic component community is to replace multiple discrete components and/or hybrid assembles with monolithically integrated circuits.
Silicon based integrated photonics offers a platform for many optical functions through microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microoptoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS), silicon waveguides, integrated CMOS electronics and hybrid integration of compound semiconductor elements for optical gain. However, within the prior art the majority of MEMS and MOEMS devices were designed for free space optical interconnections. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide optical component designers with MOEMS elements supporting the provisioning of tunable sources, tunable filters, tunable receivers etc. in the optical waveguide domain without free space optics or minimizing waveguide-air-waveguide interfaces.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.